Write a letter to someone who has impacted your life

Dear Steve Irwin,

My favorite animal is an alligator, and it's all thanks to you.

Yes, everyone who knows me knows of my love for alligators, and my collection of alligator toys etc. is well-established. But loving alligators has affected me in other ways.

Loving a dangerous, but beautiful animal has reinforced the idea to look for the beauty in all creatures. Yes, an alligator can be vicious, but mother alligators also respond to calls of their young. Yes, their jaws can entrap an animal, but their tails help them move elegantly through the water. Whenever someone challenges me about alligators, I am able to show off the incredible things about them. This is true for all creatures. Regardless of what an animal is capable of, there is something fascinating and worthy about it. I know this is a pillar of what you taught through your outreach. You helped me, and countless others see the wonder in our world, especially in animals that many people would dismiss as monstrous.

This has also helped me work towards looking out for animal welfare. Animals, regardless of if we eat them or milk them or adopt them or just observe them, deserve to be treated well. This is admittedly an ideal I am still working to uphold in my own life, but I have that ideal thanks, in part, to you.

Defending my fascination with alligators has also helped me stand my ground. I remember one time when a guy on a dating app kept trying to convince me that because alligators were so dangerous, they shouldn't be my favorite animal. I asserted that if I said said my favorite animal was a tiger, I wouldn't have gotten the same response. The conversation soon fizzled as this guy could not let this one fact about me go. But it is an example of how my love for alligators has helped me stand my ground when, otherwise, I often capitulate.

Alligators have also encouraged me to learn about other animals, like caimans and gharials, that I may never have encountered otherwise. I have always found learning about new animals rewarding. Plus, animal fun facts are just that--fun! They're great to whip out at parties.

So I wanted to thank you. You helped define me, my life, and my point of view. I will never forget what you have done for me. I have learned so much from you and through my love of alligators.

I hope you are resting in peace.

With Sincere Thanks,

Holly

(Prompt provided by Amelia Sacco)

"Steve Irwin and Koala Australian Zoo-1=" by John. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.